Rotary mercury circuit-breaker.



PATENTBD 001?. 25, 1904.

A. F-, CHRISTMAS. ROTARY MERCURY GIRGUIT BREAKER.

APPLIOATION-IILBD DEB. 2, 1 903.

H0 MODEL.

FIG. 1

wrrussss. Y

INVENT R.

UNITED STATES Patented October 25, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

ADOLPH F. CHRISTMAS, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF TWO-THIRDS TO FRANK R. MOFEATTERS, OF WILKINSBURG, PENN SYLVANIA.

ROTARY MERCURY.ClRCUlT-BREAKER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 773,121, dated October 25, 1904. Application filed December 2,1903. Serial No. 183,519. (No model.)

tary Mercury Circuit-Breakers; and I do here-i by declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to circuit-interrupters, and more especially to devices of this character whereby an ordinary commercial current can be continuously broken and again made and alternately connected to two different translating devices or two different Windings of the same translating device. 1

The object of the invention is to so construct circuit makers and breakers of this character that the evil effects which result from the arcs which are formed when the circuit is broken are overcome.

With many translating devices-such, for instance, as reciprocating motors and the like provided with a plurality of coilsit is either necessary or desirable to break and make the circuit at rapid intervals and to direct the current alternately through the two coils of the motor or to independent translating devices. One difiiculty in doing this is that the arcs which are formed when an ordinary commercial current is interrupted detrimentally affect the terminals of the circuit-interrupter, thus soon destroying the same and making the interrupter useless' This difficulty has prevented the commercial use of translating devices which depend upon rapid interruption of a current for theiroperation. v

The object of my invention is to provide a circuit-interrupter for these purposes wherein the defects of prior interrupters are overcome.

To this end the invention consists, generally stated, in breaking the circuit between suitable metallic terminals, one at least of which is abody of mercury inclosed in apractically-sealed chamber, so that the arcs which are necessarilyformed will expend themselves in volatilizing the mercury, but the latter being contained in a closed chamber will imor, three chambers, as desired.

mediately condense and again join the main body of mercury.

The invention also comprises certain details of construction hereinafter specifically described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a longitudinal section through one form of my circuit-interrupter, showing in diagram the circuits to which the same is connected. Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the same. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section through a modified form of interrupter, and Fig. 4 is a detail view showing still another modification.

Preferably the circuit-interrupter will be of the rotary type and has been so shown, 'It comprises a suitable movable body 1, which may be oscillating or rocking and is shown as rotatably mounted in bearings or standards 2, secured to an insulating-base 3. The rotatable body will be provided with either one In Figs. 1 and 2 thebody is shown as provided with one chamber 4:, in which there is a body of mercury 5; which, however, only partially fills said chamber. The level of this mercury- .body may be regulated by a drain-opening closed by means of a screw 6. In this chamber there will be exposed an annular metallic member or face, so that the mercury will always be in contact with some portion thereof. For simplicity, of construction this metallic annular face is provided by the inner face of the metallic cylindrical shell 7 of the bears a brush 8, to which is connected one terminal, and preferably the positive pole, ofv

the circuit. In this manner the mercury body will always be in electrical connection with one pole of the circuit.

The ends of the shell 7 are closed by heads 10, of insulating material, such as porcelain, glass, fiber, lava, mica, or any suitable insulating material. Projecting through these heads are oppositely-arranged contact members or fingers 11 and 12, which for simplicity of construction project centrally through the heads and are extended outwardly to form the trunnions 13 on which the, body rotates.

Secured. to these members externally of the insulating-heads are metallic disks 14:, against which bear the brushes 15 and 16, which in turn are electrically connected to the binding-posts 17 and 18.

The translating device or devices are shown in the diagram as comprising two coils 20 and 21, the former of which is connected by a line 22 to the binding-post 17 and the latter of which is connected by a line 22 to the binding-post 18. The generator is shown at 23, and the positive main 24 leads from the same to the brush 8, which is in permanent connection with the mercury. The return-main 25 from the coils 21 is connected centrally thereto and to the negative brush of the generator.

The circuit-interrupter may be rotated in any desirable waysuch, for instance, as by means of a crank connected to one of the trunnions of the body or bymeans of a pulley 26 for receiving a belt coming from any suitable source of power, such as the countershaft in a factory or any other suitable source. When used in an electric system, however, it is convenient to rotate the interrupter from a motor bridged across the circuit, and in Fig. 1 is shown a diagram illustrating this manner of rotating the interrupter. In this diagram a motor 27 is bridged across the positive and negative mains and has its shaft connected, by means of a belt 28, with the pulley 26 of the interrupter.

It will be obvious that in the rotation of the body the mercury will always remain in one position and that the fingers 11 and 12 will dip at intervals and alternately into the mercury. As the body of mercury is in constant electrical connection in the circuit through the brush 8, bearing on the annular metallic wall 7 of the chamber, and the fingers 11 and 12 are also connected in the circuit, it will be obvious that the circuit will be made whenever one of the projections or fingers 11 or 12 dips into or comes into contact with the mercury and that assoon as said finger leaves the mercury the circuit will be interrupted and that the circuit will be alternately made through the coils 20 and 21. At the breaking of the circuit an arc will necessarily be formed; but this will merely expend itself in vaporizing a portion of the mercury; but as the latter is contained in a practically-sealed chamber it will again condense and join the main body of the mercury.

It will be obvious that the rapidity of making and breaking the circuit will depend upon the rapidity of rotating the body 1. If desired, more than a single finger may be projeeted through each head of the body, thus getting a more rapid interruption of the current or permitting a slower rotation of the interrupter. In Fig. 4 each of the negative terminals is shown as provided with two fingers 11 11 and 12 12, so that for each rotation of the body the circuit will he made and broken four times instead of only twice, as by the arrangement shown in Fig. 1. It will of course be obvious that any number of fingers more than two may be used.

In Fig. 3 is shown a modified form of interrupter having all of the three terminals of mercury. As shown in said figure, the cham ber of the rotatingbody is divided, by means of two partitions 30 and 31, into three compa rtments 32, 33, and 3a. The partitions 230 and 31 are of insulating material and are provided with openings 35 and 36, respectively. In each of the compartments is contained a body of mercury, and the walls of the compartments are of metal and have bearing against the same the brushes 8, 15, and 16, respectively. It will be obvious that in the rotation of this body the mercury in the several compartments will flow together through the perforations in the partitions or diaphragms and that if the openings in the two partitions are arranged oppositely, as shown in Fig. 3, the circuit will be alternately made through the brushes 15 and 16. The manner of connecting this modification in the circuit will be the same as of the preferred form.

It will be obvious that my interrupter can be used on circuits of any character and description and that by means thereof any circuit may be constantly broken and made and with any desired rapidity. It will also be obvious that the terminals cannot be detrimentally afi'ccted or destroyed by the arcs formed when the circuit is broken, the only effect of such arcs being to volatilize a portion of the mercury; but as the latter is contained in a closed chamber it will again be condensed, and therefore not lost. The current is only momentarily made by the lingers, thus avoiding overheating of the. translating devices.

Various modifications may be made in the details of construction of the interrupter without departing from the spirit of my invention.

hat I claim is 1. A circuit-interrupter comprising a rotatable body provided with a chamber, a body of mercury in said chamber but only partially filling the same, constant electrical connections to the mercury, means for rotating said body, and two terminals exposed in said chamber and arranged to be alternately electrically connected to themercury at intervals in the rotation of the body.

2. A circuit-interrupter comprising a body provided with a chamber, three circuit-ler minals exposed in said chamber, one at least of which is of mercury, a positive pole in constant electrical connection with the mercury terminal, negative poles connected to the other two terminals, and means for mov ing the body to bring the two negative terminals alternately into electrical connection with the positive terminal.

3. A circuit-interrupter comprising a rotatable body provided with a chamber, a body of mercury in said chamber but only partially filling the same, a positive-pole in constant electrical connection with said mercury, means for rotating the body, two circuit-terminals exposed in said chamber and arranged to be alternately brought into electrical connection with the mercury at intervals in the rotation of the body, and negative poles connected to each of said two terminals.

4. A circuit-interrupter comprising a rotatable body provided with a chamber having the walls thereof formed in part of insulating material, a body of mercury in said chamber but only partially filling the same, an annular metallic face exposed in said chamber with which the mercury is in constant contact, electrical connections to said annular metallic face, two independent contact portions exposed in said chamber and arranged to be electrically connected with the mercury at intervals in the rotation of the body, and means for rotating said body.

- 5. A circuit-interrupter comprising a rotatable body provided with a chamber having the walls thereof formed in part of insulating material, a body of mercury in said chamber but only partially filling the same, an annular metallic face exposed in said chamber with which the mercury is in constant contact, electrical connections to said annular metallic face, two independent contact portions each exposed only at a point or points in said chamber and arranged in the rotation of the body to come into contact with the mercury alternately and at intervals, electrical conin the rotation of the body, and'means for ro- V tating said body. 4

7. A circuit-interrupter comprising a rotatable cylindrical metallic body provided with a chamber, heads of insulating material for said body, a body of mercury in said chamber but only partially filling the same, a brush bearing against the outer face of said cylindrical body, circuit terminals projecting through each head into said chamber and arranged to contact with the mercury alternately and at intervals in the rotation of the body, electrical connectionsto each of said two terminals, and means for rotating said body.

8. A circuit-interrupter comprising a rotatable body provided with a chamber, a body of mercury in said chamber but only partially filling the same, constant electrical connections to said mercury, and two terminals ofsmall section in their arcuate paths and 6X- posed in said chamber, and arranged alternately, and means for rotating said body.

In testimony whereof I, the said ADoLrI-i F.

CHRISTMAS, have hereunto set my hand.

. ADOLPH F. CHRISTMAS.

Witnesses:

F. W. WINTER, ROBERT (J. TOTTEN. 

